Indonesia’s Prabowo on managing South China Sea row: ‘partnerships better than conflicts’

The president said Jakarta will safeguard its sovereignty in the contested waterway days after signing a maritime deal with Beijing

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Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto in Washington on November 12. Photo: AP

Published: 11:22am, 14 Nov 2024

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he would “always safeguard our sovereignty” when asked about the issue of the South China Sea, adding partnerships are better than conflicts and that “we respect all powers”.

Prabowo’s comments, made while he was in Washington on Wednesday, came after his foreign ministry stressed that Indonesia does not recognise China’s claims over the South China Sea despite signing a maritime deal with Beijing last weekend.

Beijing has long clashed with Southeast Asian nations over the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety, based on a “nine-dash line” on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of several countries.

“We respect all powers, but we will always safeguard our sovereignty. But I choose to always find possibilities of a partnership,” said Prabowo, who has repeatedly said he will pursue a non-aligned foreign policy.

“Partnerships are better than conflicts,” he told reporters.

Prabowo, who is on his first trip since taking office last month, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the weekend.